Meeting Penelope Garcia
by 741N73D 4N63L
Summary: JJ's little sister meets Penelope Garcia, tech-goddess extraordinaire.


AN: If you have not read Meeting Spencer Reid, I strongly suggest that you open another window or tab and take a look because this story follows that one. In this story, which takes place in June of 2004, Catherine is about to turn fourteen. On another note, Catherine is going to spend the summer with JJ. This is when she will meet the BAU, JJ's team.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds but I do own Catherine Jareau and Samuel Ryan.

* * *

Nothing is so strong as gentleness,

and nothing is so gentle as real strength.

– Ralf W. Sockman

* * *

Monday June 7th, 2004

I was dozing, comfortably warm and curled up under the covers, until Jenny came back into her bedroom. Jenny doesn't really make noise when she walks but I always know when my big sister is nearby. I keep my eyes closed and my breathing even, pretending to still be asleep. I know that Jenny doesn't fall for it because this is a game we have played all my life. I pretend to be sleeping so that Jenny can wake me up. Even if it isn't real, 'waking up' to Jenny's face is much nicer than waking up alone and a million times better than waking up to the monster.

Jenny climbs back into bed and wraps her arms around me from the front, whispering, "Wake-y wake-y." She pretends not to notice when I stiffen at the contact.

I keep my eyes closed; this is also part of the game. I'm not supposed to give in right away.

Jenny kisses my forehead and says softly, "Rise and shine Princess."

I try very hard not to move when Jenny's hair tickles my face.

"Wake up or I'll tickle you," is breathed into my ear.

I open my eyes and frown, "That's not what you're supposed to say Jenny and I'm not ticklish anymore."

"Oh really? Then what am I supposed to say?" she asks laughing quietly.

"You're supposed to say-" I cut myself off when Jen's arms tighten around me. Apparently Jenny is going to follow the rest of our morning ritual even if she's strayed from the script.

Jenny rolls onto her back with myself still held securely in her arms.

When we stop rolling, Jenny is on her back and I'm lying on top of her. I sit up quickly, and look down into my big sister's cornflower blue eyes, "Aren't I getting too old and too big to sit on your hips Jenny?"

She laces her fingers through mine, "Kitty Cat, you'll never be too old for me to wake you up."

I frown, "That's not what I asked."

Jen's eyes bore into mine, "Listen to me."

I nod once, since I am expected to respond and because I am listening.

Jenny frowns, "You are staying with me for the summer right?"

I breathe out, "Yes but-"

Jenny cuts me off, "Just yes or no Catherine. You know that already."

I nod, blushing. Jen's mom voice always makes me feel about five years old.

My big sister maintains eye contact, "You're mine for the entire summer."

I open my mouth.

"Yes or no," says Jenny playfully.

I scowl at Jenny, "Yes."

She smirks, "Good, so if I want to wake you up, then I can."

I give her a dirty look.

Jenny gently tugs on my braid, "I know that doesn't really answer your question, but think about it like this. If you were too heavy, do you honestly think that I would let you sit on me?"

I shake my head, "I suppose not."

"Now Catherine," Jenny starts again, "You're mine, my little sister. You will never be to old for me to wake you up. Not even if you were ninety."

I wrinkle my nose, "You want to live to be one-hundred and two Jenny?"

She huffs and rolls her eyes at me.

"Oh, I get it. You weren't being literal. Can we blame that one on three hours of sleep?" I ask hopefully.

Jenny snickers, "Sure. Now we have to get up. It's almost time to leave."

I pout, "Do we have to go Jenny? Can't you stay home?"

She sighs, "Catherine we talked about this."

I duck my head, "I know Jenny, I'm sorry."

Jenny squeezes my hand, "It's okay to be nervous Kitty Cat. If you want to, you can stay in my office with me for most of the day."

"Will Spencer be there?" I ask hopefully, it would be nice to see a friendly face.

Jen brushes lose strands of hair out of my face, "No Princess, Spence and Gideon are giving a lecture in Cincinnati and Hotch, Ryan and Morgan are away at a conference, but Garcia will be there."

I frown, "Oh."

Jen tilts her head and looks at me consideringly, "You're not scared of Spencer? He doesn't make you nervous?"

"He doesn't." I look away from Jen and whisper, "It's nice, not being scared I mean."

Jen pulls me down to hug me and we lie in bed for so long that our pancakes are cold by the time we get to the table. So we toast the pancakes and eat them on the way to the BAU.

As we exit the elevator on the sixth floor, the first thing I hear is "Oh my God! JJ you have a mini me!" and then a whirlwind of colour comes barreling in my direction. Instead of freezing, which is what I want to do, I turn quickly and hide behind Jenny.

"JJ!" she greets my big sister with a huge hug.

I take a few steps back towards the elevator.

There is a huge smile on this woman's face when she greets me, "Well hello there cupcake."

Jenny reaches for my hand, "Kitty Cat, you remember me talking about Garcia right?"

I latch onto Jenny's hand and nod in response to her question. I'm still a little stunned that someone so colourful could work in a building filled with boring suits.

Her curly hair bounces just like the rest of her, "You can call me Penelope."

She steps forwards to hug me and I step back.

"Garcia," Jenny's voice is neon-coloured warning sign.

Penelope turns away from me and looks at Jen questioningly.

"Come on you two, we can go to my office," Jenny links her free arm with Penelope and drags her away from the elevator where a crowd has gathered.

I'm looking around, not really paying attention to faces, just the amount of bodies. I'm starting to feel crowded and I am well aware that my steady breathing pattern has changed to something resembling a staccato.

Jen squeezes my hand, and I come back to earth.

Penelope is still talking, "Do you like shoes? What am I saying, you're JJ's sister, of course you like shoes. She turns and tries to look at me around Jenny who is blocking her view, "JJ she's so quiet. Does she ever talk?"

I know Jen is rolling her eyes when she answers Penelope, "Just give her a minute to breathe Garcia." There is also a quiet, "Don't crowd her," for which I am grateful.

We arrive at Jen's office door; my breathing still isn't back to normal. Jen unlocks the door and stalls Penelope in the hall for a minute while I take in the room. To my left when I enter the room, there is a dark wooden desk and a shelving unit behind, completely covered in folders. There is another shelving unit to my right, equally layered with case files. It reminds me a little of the mess in Jenny's room from when I was little. Directly in front of me is a small coffee table and behind that a dark brown, leather couch, it looks comfortable.

Penelope and Jenny enter the office, I fight my desire to hide behind Jenny's desk and sit on the couch instead. A coffee table is not quite as effective but makes less of a statement. Jen drags her desk chair over to the other side of the coffee table and motions for Penelope to sit down. Then Jen walks around her and takes the empty seat next to me on the couch.

"Too many people?" Jenny asks with a whisper.

I nod.

Penelope scoots her chair closer, disregarding Jenny's suggestion not to crowd me, and my breathing starts to speed up. Jenny stops Penelope's movements with a look and she slides closer to me on the couch. I curl into her and she wraps an arm around me, we ignore Penelope's cooing about how cute we are. Jenny takes my clenched hand, uncurls my fingers and places two of them on her wrist. I try to focus on her heartbeat just as I try to match my breathing with the movement of her ribcage. It takes a few minutes to get everything copasetic again and I'm thankful for the peace and quiet I receive from Jenny and Penelope.

In my calmed state, I start drifting off to sleep.

Jen disturbs me before I can actually pass out by running her fingers though my hair, "Come on Kitty Cat, it's not nap time yet. I have work to do and so does Garcia."

"Jenny 'm tired," I mumble too quietly for Penelope to hear.

Jen kisses my forehead, "You can have a nap on my couch later Princess."

I sigh half dramatically and half from exhaustion, and sit up properly to please my big sister.

I frown at Penelope who has given back Jen's chair and is now moving towards the other end of the couch.

Jenny takes the chair with a quiet, "Thank you," and sits down at her desk, leaving my homework filled backpack sitting on the couch in between Penelope and myself.

She sits down and smiles happily at me, "Now go away JJ, I need to get proper dirt on you from your little sister here."

"Penelope, we're in my office," Jenny reminds her colourful friend.

"Okay then we'll leave," Penelope waves her arm in the direction of the office door, "We'll be fine in my cave."

Penelope grabs my hand, I flinch and Penelope looks at Jenny but doesn't comment. I am grateful for all of two seconds before I realize that Penelope is dragging me out of Jenny's office. I throw a pleading look back at my big sister but she just smiles and waves as I am pulled out of her office. A faint echo of Jen's voice follows me out of her office and down the hall, "You'll be fine Kitty Cat."

Penelope opens the door to her 'cave' and I have to fight to keep a smile off my face. It's filled with computer screens. I love computers but I'm not very good at anything beyond the basics yet. The computer I have at home is very old and slow and mama and daddy don't want to buy me a new one. I still write all my essays by hand, which is admittedly how I want to do it, but editing on a computer is just so much more efficient. There are tiny little spots of colour. I have to look around a few times to make sure I've taken everything in. The pink spot of colour that I thought was a figurine is actually a pen. And yes, she does have several troll dolls. My fingers itch to touch Penelope's computers and figurines but it would be rude to touch something that isn't mine without asking permission, Jen taught me better than that. I also can't find my voice to ask Penelope anything, not even what system she's using.

Penelope catches my wide-eyed stare and grins at me. She pushes me gently in the direction of a small table and chair before sitting down in the big chair in front of the computers. Somehow my backpack has appeared; it is leaning against a table leg. I wonder just how long Penelope Garcia has been planning this interrogation, because I know that an interrogation is exactly what this'll be.

Penelope fiddles with the computer for a minute, her keys fly over the keyboard so quickly that I have absolutely no idea what she is doing. When she turns back, there is a slight predatory edge to her smile, "Okay, now that JJ's gone we can talk properly."

I stay silent, still nervous and wanting to be anywhere else but here.

She frowns slightly, "You can talk right? Because we can use pen and paper if you can't or my lap top, you could use my laptop."

I answer in a whisper, "I can talk." As much as I would love to use her laptop, not answering a direct question is impolite, I want Penelope to like me.

Penelope actually claps and smiles joyously, "Okay, now tell me all about you and little JJ."

I frown, that wasn't a proper question, "I'm not sure what you want to know."

Penelope rushes on, "What was she like as a teenager, friends, boyfriends?"

I take a minute to gather my thoughts, I am unsure how much to share with Penelope, even if she is friendly with my Jen. I finally decide on an edited version of the truth, "If Jenny had stayed-"

"You call her Jenny, that's so cute!" she coos.

I roll my eyes; she's my sister, not my friend, why would I call her JJ? "If Jenny had stayed, I think Rafe would have dated her, but he's old."

"How old is he?" she asks frowning.

I take a second to calculate the exact amount, "Five years, three months and six days older than Jenny."

Penelope tries to hide her smile, "Oh honey, maybe to a kid that's a big age difference, but five years isn't very much of a gap to adults."

I frown, "Don't patronize me," is out of my mouth before I can stop it. I can feel my cheeks heating up and I hope that I haven't upset Penelope.

Penelope starts laughing, not giggling, a fully bellied laugh, "Oh aren't you precious. I can see why JJ call you Kitty Cat, you've got claws."

I roll my eyes and huff quietly.

She chuckles at my annoyance, "I need to do a little bit of work. And you, my little Princess, you can do your homework. Or whatever it was you were going to do in your Jenny's office." Penelope turns back to her computers and lets out a final parting shot, "I wouldn't say no to you climbing onto my lap either. Seeing as that's what you looked like you were going to do with JJ."

My cheeks colour in shame. That is almost exactly what I was hoping to do in Jen's office; use her as my pillow. She could do her work and I'll take a nap. Jen probably needs a nap too but she got more sleep last night than I did. I really hate nightmares.

I work on my French papers for just over an hour before I take a deep breath, "Penelope?" I whisper cautiously. I'm only half sure that I want to get her attention.

"Yes Cupcake?" answers Garcia absentmindedly.

I bite my lip, "Why does that purple paper on your wall say squeak?"

Penelope turns back towards me and says excitedly, "You can read that? Not even boy genius can read that."

I blush, "I can really only read the first word, the second one doesn't make sense."

Penelope looks really eager when she asks her next question, "Well, what do you think it says?"

I wrinkle my nose, "Leet, but I don't know what that is."

Her eyes sparkle, "Well you're right."

I narrow my eyes at her, "How can I be right if I don't know what it is?"

Her smile is gentle, "You're right because you can read it."

I frown while I consider Penelope's answer, "Your purple post-it says Squeak Leet?"

Her smile is huge, "It sure does. I-" The phone rings, interrupting whatever else Penelope was going to say. "One minute cupcake," Penelope turns away from me and picks up the phone, "Garcia, Goddess of all things technical, and her side kick mini JJ here. How may we direct your existence today?"

I can't help but giggle at the absurdity of her statement.

Penelope spins around in her chair at my giggle and grins widely at me before turning back to her computers. I am so entranced by her fingers dancing that I don't hear the rest of the conversation.

Penelope must have noticed my distraction because when she turns back to me she asks, "Do you know anything about computers Cupcake?"

I frown, "No really. I know the basics I suppose. Enough to get around in school."

Her eyes light up, "A novice! Well, I'll just have to fix that. Right after I teach you how to read L337."

"You don't have too," I protest feebly, secretly delighted at the prospect.

She scoffs, "Nonsense, of course I do. You're going to be family and I have no one else to teach my secrets too."

I tilt my head; confused I question her, "Family?"

She rolls closer to me, "Didn't JJ tell you? We're all family. Not biologically of course but family by choice, which is better in some cases."

I frown, both due to her proximity and her proclamation that we are, or will be family. I will have to check with Jenny to make sure that Penelope isn't pulling the wool over my eyes.

Penelope pats my jean-covered leg and I fight the urge to back away. "Now," she says happily, "We're going to start with the alphabet. Then I'll give you something I've typed up, and we can see how you do and go from there okay?"

"Okay," I whisper, a little overwhelmed but definitely intrigued. I love learning new things.

We spend the next quarter hour going over the alphabet chart before Penelope gives me a letter that she has typed up and asks me to decode it for her. It only takes me a few minutes and I smile at the results.

H3LL0 PR1NC355, 7H15 15 P3N3L0P3 G4RC14 5P34K1NG. 1 5UR3 H0P3 J00 C4N R34D 7H15 8Y N0W CUPC4K3.

Hello Princess, this is Penelope Garcia speaking. I sure hope you can read this by now cupcake.

Penelope gives me half a dozen longer letters to practice with while she does real work and pretty soon reading L337 is almost as easy as reading English.

Jenny walks in around lunchtime, "Hello Garcia."

"Hi JJ," says Penelope, slightly distracted by something on her screen.

When Jenny rests her hand next to mine on the table, I take it and she smiles down at me, "What are you doing Kitty Cat?"

I smile up at her, "Penelope is teaching me L337."

Jen rolls her eyes at my statement, "Great another secret language."

I huff, "Jenny it's not Gnomish or even Elvish. This one is much easier to learn."

Jenny ruffles my hair and whispers, "Are you hungry Princess?"

I nod while trying to straighten out my mussed hair.

Jenny turns back to Penelope with a smile, "Garcia have you called Morgan today?"

Penelope who has been observing our interaction with a smile, frowns thoughtfully, "Well no, I should probably call to check in." She smiles, "He is no doubt he is missing my wonderful self terribly."

As Penelope turns to do just that, Jenny and I make our escape out into the hall.

A few minutes later, there is a knock on Jenny's door. "Yes?" calls out Jenny. I have my sister well trained; you never just invite someone in, you find out who it is first.

Penelope Garcia opens the door with a maniacal smile on her face, "You didn't think that having me call my Chocolate Adonis would be sufficiently distracting not to remember you promised me lunch."

Jen laughs, "Garcia I didn't promise you lunch."

"Yes you did," Penelope insists. The maniacal smile is still on her face, "You brought in your mini-me," she nods at me, "And let me steal her away. That implies lunch so we can all talk."

I giggle and Jenny shoots me a betrayed look.

We sit at the picnic tables outside while we eat lunch. Penelope does most of the talking while Jenny answers the occasional question and I sit there silently, basking in the sun. It's getting a little too warm for my sweater and jeans so I move to Jenny's other side, which is in the shade. Jenny squeezes my hand when I sit down. Penelope offers me her brightly coloured parasol. I don't really want to touch her favourite parasol, what if I break it? So I smile faintly at her and decline quietly.

I rest my head on Jenny's shoulder after I finish eating and she wraps her free arm around me and starts humming quietly. One Penelope Garcia shatters our peaceful relaxation with a loud proclamation, "Oh you two look so cute together!" She pulls out a camera and grins wickedly, "Smile Sunshine! Smile Cupcake!"

Jenny groans quietly but smiles.

I try to duck out of the picture but Jenny's arm, which is still wrapped around my waist, won't let me move.

Penelope takes several photos before we are allowed to go back inside. She even managed to rope some poor soul into taking pictures of the three of us. Jen and Penelope on either side of me. It makes me nervous but both Jenny and Penelope appear to be happy so I let it slide.

I can't stop yawning as we walk back into the air-conditioned FBI building.

"Okay that's it, nap time when we get upstairs," says Jenny as we enter the elevator.

I don't bother to protest, I'm too exhausted to care that my big sister is treating me like a little kid.

"Aww," says Penelope in what for her, could be considered a whisper.

"Garcia," Jenny pauses, "Will you please meet me in my office in about ten minutes?"

Penelope's smile is sweet no trace of malice to be found, "Sure thing Sugarplum."

Jenny closes the door to her office behind us.

I stumble over to the couch, already half asleep. I try to take off my shoes and fail miserably.

Jenny laughs at my struggle and then takes pity on me. She pulls off my shoes and pushes me gently until I'm lying down. Then she covers me with the blanket hidden in her desk.

We should bring one of mine from home tomorrow, but I'm glad that this one smells like Jenny. It keeps me warm and makes me feel safe.

I hear Penelope's knock, Jenny walks quickly over to answer the door. I try to tune out their hushed conversation.

Jenny comes back to me and whispers, "I'm going to check on a few things, will you be alright here with Penelope?"

I mumble something, I'm honestly not sure it is a yes or a no.

Jen runs her fingers through my hair, "Penelope is going to stay at my desk Kitty Cat. She won't be anywhere near you while you sleep."

"J-ny?" I mumble, doing my best to stay awake.

Jenny kisses my head, "I love you Catherine. Have a nice nap, I'll be back before you wake up."

"Love you J-ny," I murmur.

Jen closes the door behind her as she exits her office.

The last thing I hear before I fall asleep is Penelope talking to herself, I think it's something about building a laptop from scratch.

* * *

Friendship is unnecessary,

like philosophy, like art...

It has no survival value;

rather it is one of those things

which give value to survival.

- C. S. Lewis

* * *

AN2: Thank you for reading, please review. If you want a copy of the L337 alphabet, ask me, or look it up. Next story will be posted on July 19th 2012 and is entitled Meeting Derek Morgan.


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